Motiva

Say goodbye to Providence, Saudi Arabia. The corporate dissolution of Motiva, a multinational partnership between Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco that operates the LNG and ethanol facility on Allens Avenue, means the Saudi Arabian government will no longer be doing business on the South Providence waterfront. “Rhode Island will go to Shell,” said Motiva […]

Environmental activists are calling for an “end to ethanol deliveries” in Providence after an early morning train accident at the Motiva Enterprises terminal in Providence Wednesday. The Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island (EJLRI), Sierra Club, The FANG Collective (Fight Against Natural Gas) and the No LNG in PVD Coalition said the accident shows why […]

The governor’s press secretary, David Ortiz, later clarified what Governor Raimondo meant by this statement, saying that, “her point was that the state has no fossil fuel deposits and does not extract natural gas, crude oil or coal.”

Economic strategies around Just Transition require strong partnerships between environmental justice community advocates and the labor movement. Too often the corporate 1 percent strategy of divide and conquer is successful, but Just Transition pushes us to build powerful working class alliances to overturn the economic and political power structures that simultaneously harm workers, create widespread economic inequality and poverty, and destroy the planet’s ability to sustain life.

The increased costs of home gas prices will have a devastating impact in Washington Park and South Providence, where families living in poverty are already dealing with the frequent impacts of National Grid terminating utility service. This is especially true in rental units which are often less energy efficient: because tenants pay utility costs, landlords have no incentive to invest in weatherization or energy efficiency, making heating costs higher.

In addition to contributing to climate change, the proposed facility and the Port of Providence in general is at high risk from climate ­related impacts and severe weather events. It, along with the rest of the Port, is at sea level and is at risk from climate change amplified hurricanes as well as from future sea level rise.

“Environmental racism refers to intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. It is the racial discrimination in the enactment or enforcement of any policy, practice, or regulation that negatively affects the environment of low income and/or racially homogeneous communities at a disparate rate than affluent communities.”

A report by former White House anti­-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke concluded that “urban import terminals, such as Fields Point LNG, would be vulnerable to “catastrophic” terrorist attacks, and also make “extremely attractive” terrorist targets.” In the detailed 159­ page report, Clarke details multiple scenarios in which an attack on the LNG facility in Fields Point Providence results in an LNG pool fire and catastrophic mass casualties.

Part one of a must-read seven part series presenting the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island’s position paper “National Grid’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Liquefaction Facility: Toxic Hazards in the Port Providence: Proposals for a Just Transition”